Kitty had to admit she was feeling just a bit relieved when
Nenene had to leave them to go back to work on her writing. Not that
she disliked the younger girl, but her almost instinctive jealousy
of Kitty did get a bit tiring. She dropped off the bags of clothes
at Yomiko's place, changed into fresh underwear, a shirt, and jeans
and then the two of them headed over to the library.
"Nenene really likes you, doesn't she?" Kitty remarked as
they walked together.
Yomiko beamed, her long brown hair flowing around her as the
light caught on her glasses, "I hope so, I admire sensei a great
deal." Behind her she dragged her usual suitcase on a cart, the long
trenchcoat she wore ruffled by the breeze.
"Sensei?" Kitty raised an eyebrow, pushing her shorter brown
hair back, "I would have thought she'd be calling you that, teacher."
"Oh, no," Yomiko shook her head, eyes wide, "I've learned so
much from her books!"
'Maybe,' Kitty thought to herself as they neared the library
building itself, 'but you don't seem to see how Nenene feels about
you.' She had watched the woman and the younger girl together, and
Nenene's feelings were crystal clear to Kitty. She cared for Yomiko,
watched out for her, and maybe even was in love with her.
"Kitty-san?" Yomiko looked over at her curiously, "What are
you thinking about?"
"Oh, nothing," Kitty smiled wryly.
The two of them went into the library itself, moving through
the stacks towards a raised central set of tables. Yomiko looked
around all starry-eyed at all the books for a moment, but shook
herself to focus on the task at hand. She took hold of a pen on a
stand, shifting the stick over in a set of motions to activate a
concealed elevator.
As they dropped down into the Tokyo base of the Great
British Library Special Missions Agency, Kitty took a moment to gaze
around her in awe. The massive library hidden beneath the public one
was as large or larger than X- Men's underground headquarters,
extending out beneath buildings on either side of the surface
library. Bookcases stretched off into the distance, some of them
being moved on lifts and pulleys into different positions. And all
around them people worked, filing, sorting, and studying the rare
books.
"Ah," Yomiko sighed to herself happily, unconsciously moving
to follow a bookcase rolling by them. Kitty reached out to grab her
by the collar, and Yomiko blushed as she came to her
senses, "Thanks, Kitty-san."
"No problem," Kitty smiled back wryly. She looked over at
Yomiko curiously and asked, "So why are we here today?"
"Oh, Wendy called," Yomiko beamed, "we're going to get you
fitted with a new uniform." She looked around her, then called
out, "Wendy-san? Wendy?"
"Sorry I'm late," the blonde haired young woman came around
a set of bookcases, nearly running into them. She skidded to a stop,
Kitty reaching out reflexedly to help steady her. "Thank you," Wendy
smiled, pushing her hair out of her face.
"You all right?' Kitty asked.
"I'm fine," Wendy looked a bit frazzled, "Yomiko, Joker
asked to see you, too."
"I'll go see him right now," Yomiko trotted off towards a
stairway, "Wendy, can you help Kitty out with her uniform?"
"Hai," Wendy waved as Yomiko left. She turned back to Kitty
with a slight smile, "I'll take you over to the technical division,
Miss Pryde."
"Lead the way," Kitty nodded to the young lady in a woman's
suit, "and you can just call me Kitty if you like."
"Thank you," the little blonde looked a bit nervous as they
walked along the hallway. Wendy cleared her throat, "Yomiko's told
you about Nancy, right?" Kitty nodded, and Wendy continued on, "I
know that it's not your fault, but you do bear a startling
resemblance to her. Please be careful not to take advantage of that."
Kitty sighed softly, "I'll try."
"That's all we can ask," Wendy's voice was gentle as they
entered another room. A pile of clothes lay on a table there, all of
them pure black. She picked up the pile and handed it over to
Kitty, "The clothes were made with unstable molecules so that they
will phase like you do, without you having to use your powers
intentionally on them."
"Thanks," Kitty took the cloth in her hands, then looked
around. "Is there somewhere private I can change clothes?"
Wendy walked over and opened up a door in the far wall,
revealing a small change room. "Here you go," she smiled.
"Thanks," Kitty stepped inside, shutting the door behind
her. She stripped off her clothes then pulled on the new ones,
smoothing the dark material down with a hand. She opened the door,
giving Wendy a wry smile, "Well, it fits but it's a bit too fetish
for me."
"Wow," Wendy gulped.
Kitty's new costume could be best described as a black
leather sheath. The synthetic leather clung to every curve, the
pants tucked into leather boots. The top was zippered down just to
the base of her throat, the tightness making clear that she wasn't
wearing a bra. The pants, on the other hand, made it clear she was
wearing panties.
"Well, at least I can move around," Kitty stretched out a
bit. She threw a few high kicks, feeling a bit of relief that the
pants didn't just split wide open. "Not bad," she conceded, "but I
think I'll only wear this when out on a mission."
"I'm going to have a little talk with whoever designed it,"
Wendy promised, a blush to her cheeks as Kitty went back inside to
change back.
"Well, it isn't all that different from some of my old X-Men
costumes," Kitty called out from the change-room, "its just a bit...
tighter."
"You've being kind," Wendy remarked. Kitty came out of the
changeroom back in shirt and pants, carrying the uniform under her
arm. A slightly impish smile, "I do wonder what the reactions would
be if you walked through the base in that."
Kitty made a face at that, but otherwise didn't answer. They
made their way back into the central part of the library, then they
headed up the stairway Kitty had seen Yomiko take earlier. "We're
going to see Joker?" Kitty asked.
"Something like that," Wendy agreed. She knocked on the
door, there was a muffled reply, and they went on in.
Joker was standing beside Yomiko in front of a desk, behind
it an old man sitting. Joker smiled slightly, "Mr. Gentleman, I'd
like you to meet Katherine Pryde."
"So this is Miss Pryde," the man stroked at a long gray
beard. Mr. Gentleman's one eye sparkled with intelligence, the other
hidden behind an eye-patch.
"Sir," Kitty nodded slightly, unsure what else to say.
"The resemblance really is uncanny," Mr. Gentleman murmured
softly. He smiled, "I wanted to personally thank you for offering
your aide to Yomiko."
"It was nothing," Kitty said quietly.
"Not so," he corrected her, "I'm aware of the difficulties
this has caused with your schooling." Mr. Gentleman took a drink of
his tea, "I have some influence, even with MIT. You will be allowed
to return to your classes when we're done here."
Kitty blinked in surprise, even as Yomiko gushed, "Thank
you, sir!"
"I've discussed your plan to visit the surviving Nancy
clone," Joker said smoothly into the momentary silence, "and Mr.
Gentleman agrees."
"It does seem to be the place to begin," the old man agreed.
A slight smile appeared on Mr. Gentleman's face, "You think like a
detective, Miss Pryde."
"Thanks," Kitty said, just a bit unnerved by the old man.
She smiled slightly, "And it's Kitty."
"Kitty," Mr. Gentleman nodded. He looked over at Joker, "I
believe this should be a full operation of the Great British Library
Special Missions Agency, with all agents they require."
"It will be done," Joker agreed.
To be continued
Author's Note: Unstable molecules are a Marvel Comics universe
invention. Clothes that are made from them are able to adapt to the
superpowers of the wearer, so that if Kitty phases, they also phase
along with her.
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